North Africa 1942-43

In the early part of the African campaign, our green and untested American armored and infantry divisions took heavy losses as they progressed eastward. This was due to our inexperienced commanding officers, inferior, untested equipment and a battle hardened, veteran German enemy commanded by General Rommel.

It appeared that they could dispose of our antiquated General Grant tanks almost at will with their amazing 88mm gun on their turreted tanks. They had been fighting the British 8th in the North African desert for several years.

Finally, with hard earned experience, like the catastrophe at the Kasserine Pass and with the improved General Sherman tanks the enemy was pushed back.

As the action moved eastward, our battalion also moved in that direction, protecting supply ports in Algiers, Bougie, Bone, Mostaganum and etc. along the Mediterranean coast. The grand strategy was to capture or destroy the German Africa Korp between the American 5th and the British 8th armies.

In convoy, my ambulances, jeep, and medical equipment vehicle were always at the end of the column. The motor pool repair truck and hoist equipment was just behind us. As luck would have it, we stopped for a few days in the town of Mostaganum. We received orders not to set up our guns, but to get off the road and wait for further orders. This was in late 1942.

I used the word “luck” because next to our exact position, where the convoy had stopped, was this strange three story high structure that Pezzula immediately discovered. It resembled an American grain silo but it was square shaped and had large spigots at the base. To everyone's delight this “silo” was filled with aging French wine. It was called a “Cave.”

We were also fortunate in that the column had not attracted enemy aircraft. Sgt. Pezzula quickly set up our aid station a little further back in that winery, and set my sleeping bag in one of the offices. As to medical care, the battalion knew of our location because we stayed in the same position at the terminal end of the convoy.

In a short time we made ourselves quite comfortable. But it was very hot with that African sun beating down on us. I slipped off my shirt and enjoyed, sipping slowly on a full canteen of wine. I fell sound asleep in the hot sun and developed one hell of a sunburn on my back. It occurred to no one to at least turn me over.

For the next several days I sat up in my jeep straight as an arrow trying to avoid having my shirt touch my sunburnt back. During the course of the following week or so the men seemed to be overly complacent. Somehow, things just didn't seem normal. Then I discovered that Sgt. Pezzula had filled the five-gallon cans that are hooked to each side of the ambulance with wine instead of water. Not one of the men showed any evidence of intoxication, but the usual “GI Bitching” was not heard.

The reason that we were ordered not to set up our anti-aircraft guns in Mostaganum soon became apparent. We received orders from 5th Army to closely follow a British armored column directly to Bizerte.

There was evidence that the German Army was capitulating and there was a need for our 90mm guns to cover the Mediterranean coast to prevent them from escaping by sea. I later learned that none did escape, not because of our 90s but due to the American and British fighter aircraft.